“I’m not like Tony Stewart”: When Kevin Harvick opened up on his pre-race eating preferences
Kevin Harvick, the NASCAR veteran, in a 2019 interview, revealed his pre-race eating rituals to Jeff Gluck of The Athletic in his famous 12 Questions segment for the publication.
During the 2019 season, Harvick portrayed his ability as a consistent performer along with a deep playoff run with Stewart-Haas Racing. Early in the season, Harvick was a regular contender at the top of the field, securing multiple poles but no victories till July. In July, he edged out Denny Hamlin to secure his first win of the season, which was a kick-start for the rest of the season. He won at Michigan and later in the playoffs, won at Texas (to secure a spot in the Championship 4).
When asked about what food he would not recommend before a race, the NASCAR legend replied that he would not recommend eating Mexican Food, despite it being his favourite food. He also added that he isn’t like the NASCAR icon, Tony Stewart, who very famously didn’t mind letting “loose” in the car. Harvick said:
"I would probably venture to go against eating the Mexican food before the race. It’s really good; my favorite food. But just bad stomach cramps. And I’m not like Tony Stewart: I can’t just let loose in the race car. I’ve never actually peed or pooped on myself. I’ve had the worst stomachache I’ve ever had in my life, but I stuck it out."
Kevin Harvick is a retired American NASCAR driver and broadcaster. Harvick’s NASCAR Cup Series career spanned 23 years, and during this time, he accumulated 60 Cup Series victories, which ranks him 10th in the all-time list. He won the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship, and during his career also achieved wins in the Crown Jewels with winning the Daytona 500, Southern 500, Brickyard 400, and Coca-Cola 600. Harvick has a tremendous record at Phoenix Raceway with the most wins, nine.
Kevin Harvick made a big claim about Denny Hamlin’s future
Kevin Harvick has expressed confidence in Denny Hamlin’s ability to remain a top contender in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, despite earlier scepticism. On his Happy Hour podcast, Harvick highlighted Hamlin’s recent back-to-back wins at Martinsville and Darlington as evidence that the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing team has successfully navigated challenges, including a crew chief change (Chris Gabehart’s departure and Chris Gayle’s arrival) and the loss of long-time sponsor FedEx.
"They're (#11 team) in a great spot. They've gotten rid of all the conversation about new crew chief, new situation, 'Where's Denny (Hamlin)? Where's this? Where's that?'" Kevin Harvick said on the Happy Hour podcast. [13:50]
"Denny's winning, Denny's a contender, he's going to be there for a while in contention to win races, run in the top five, and lead laps, and do the things that we expect out of Denny Hamlin," he added.
Earlier in the season, Harvick had raised concerns about Hamlin’s championship prospects, suggesting the veteran driver was “running out of opportunities” after a mixed start.